reading blog – Page 252 – Amy Leigh Reads

The Wrath and the Dawn Review

March 11, 2019March 11, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

One of m 91g2v-zrtdl y favourite books of the year so far!!!

We follow the story of a young king who is a monster. Every day he marries a new girl and then at dawn she is put to death. When Shahrzad’s best friend is the king’s latest victim she vows to have her revenge and volunteers to be his new bride.

I loved Shahrzad’s tenacity and quick wit. I thought she was funny and clever and completely immovable. She is already struggling with the death of her best friend and choosing to put herself in the same position and entirely in the hands of her friends’ murderer I found to be very courageous. I loved her arc within the story, starting off quite detached and filled with rage and almost obsessing about figuring out the secrets of the king and why he had to murder all of these girls. Then to see her struggle internally with her feelings and the guilt that is brought about because of that really had me invested.

Khalid I was really drawn to from the start. I wanted to not like him because of what he did, but the mystery surrounding why definitely had me intrigued! I liked how he is so observant and attentive to Shazi’s needs and he isn’t afraid to admit to what he has done and won’t hide from it. He fully embraces his past and the way that he finally divulged the true story to Shazi showed his absolute trust and commitment to her.

For some reason I didn’t really warm to Tariq. I think because we don’t get to see him and Shazi together and see how their relationship really is. We are just kind of told that they are in love and not shown it. I love how dedicated he is to Shazi, especially once he has heard what she has done and proceeds to speed off to the capital to rescue her. I thought that was very noble of him and showed the depth of his love. But I didn’t necessary feel that reciprocated by Shazi… all I got from her is kind is guilt that she has feeling for the man who murdered her best friend, not really anything about the many years they have supposedly been in love.

There is so much collusion and schemes weaving throughout the story and the pacing really helped set the scene for the book. I loved the slow build up of anticipation and tension throughout the course of the storyline and I was super entertained during all of it! The setting is wonderful as well, the Middle Eastern cultural elements add distinction and depth to the book which I highly appreciated.

The magical elements of the story weren’t really explained forthright. I appreciated what we did get to see but I kind of want more. I can see Shazi learning to hone her abilities and maybe, just maybe be the one to absolve Khalid…

I have a lot of questions that need answering and I definitely have one or two theories about what is going to happen next! I love that this is a duology as well because this first book really set the tone perfectly and I am itching to continue on with The Rose and the Dagger!

⭐️5/5 Renee Ahdieh might be one of my new favourite authors!!!

Reviews

Girls of Paper and Fire Review

March 8, 2019March 8, 2019by amyleighreads2 Comments

34433755 This was pretty great!

I went into this book with kind of low expectations because it was so hyped and well loved by everyone who read it and that kind of had me a little sceptical. But boy was I proved wrong this was absolutely fantastic.

Lei is a member of the Paper Caste, they are the most oppressed and lowest members of society in this world called Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father and the memory of her mother who ten years ago was snatched by palace guards to never be seen again. Now, the guards are back for Lei as the rumours about her beautiful golden eyes have reached the ears of the king. She is taken back to the castle and is now being trained as the 9^th royal consort or Paper Girl to the king.

I really like Lei; she is just the right amount of innocent but not completely naïve. She understands what she needs to do and why, yet she still chooses to not cooperate fully. I liked the small acts of rebellion that she stages and then to see them progressively grow bolder until she is implicit in the grandest scheme of them all was thrilling. To see her grow increasingly stronger and braver even though she has to undergo so much pain was really empowering.

Wren I was a little on the fence with from the start. I think because she came across as a little unlikeable to me and a little snobbish I kind of wrote her off as an insignificant character, the same as the rest of the paper girls. I didn’t really find myself attached to any of them and I wasn’t invested in them. That was until we started delving deeper into their backstories and how they might not be that much different from Lei. Wren especially after hearing what happened to her in her childhood and when she started explaining to Lei all of her secrets I was fully on her side!

The romance I could definitely spot from a mile away. Though I did enjoy how it blossomed out of so much adversity. They really bonded over their shared experiences and what kind of started off as innocent and innocuous bloomed into a full on relationship. They were kind of all in a little too quickly for my tastes, but I definitely appreciated the representation.

The premise of the book is really unique and I like the eastern cultural influence that is written into the story. The different clans and the different castes really added a layer of complexity to the plot that I enjoyed immensely. I was very much engaged throughout the course of this book as the stakes were always extremely high. We are given ample evidence that if Lei is caught she will reap the consequences and could even lose her life so that really kept me on the edge of my seat during the read. The ending was explosive and there are still so many questions that I need answering so I will definitely be continuing on with the next book when it comes out later this year I believe.

There is a lot of violence and sexual abuse in this book as well so please be aware of that before going into this.

⭐️4.5/5 Unique, engaging, bold!

Reviews

Windwitch Review

March 6, 2019March 4, 2019by amyleighreads1 Comment

windwitch I had to get straight back into this world after finishing Truthwitch in February and I wasn’t disappointed.

After an assassin blew up Prince Merik’s ship the world now believes him to be dead, yet somehow he survived but is now scarred and barely recognisable. The Bloodwitch is sent on a mission to find and capture Iseult, however she offers him a deal that he can’t seem to pass up. After their ship is attacked and shipwrecked Safi and the Empress find themselves alone in a land filled with pirates. They have to work together to keep hidden and try to stay alive.

I loved the multiple perspectives we get in this second book of the Witchlands series. It really helps to broaden the scope of the book and keeps me far more entertained. Also having all of these characters in different settings and circumstances add depth and complexity to the storyline. I was very much invested in all of the characters and they each play such a key role in the overall plot.
I loved that we get more of an insight to Vivia. We definitely only had a one-sided view of her from her brother’s perspective and I found myself intrigued by her. Merik paints her as quite an unlikeable person and to see the difference for ourselves was stark. She actually really does love her country and is passionate about feeding them, she just goes about it a different way than what her brother would like.

Merik’s arc was quite satisfying to read also. To see him hit rock bottom, having just lost his threadbrother and having his ship and crew blown apart and slowly picking himself back up and making a plan of action shows what an impressive character he is.

I’m still very much enjoying Iseult and Safi’s relationship, especially now that they are apart. I feel I can distinguish between them even more now and they are becoming more independent characters as opposed to being a pair all the time. I like seeing them function without the other which reaffirms how much they mean to each other.

The gradual additions of new characters into the storyline keeps the narrative new and fresh and has me engaged throughout. I am loving the Witchlands series so far, but I find I don’t love Windwitch as much as I loved Truthwitch but its still right up there and I’m hoping the next book in the series transcends them both!

⭐️4/5 stars Anticipation is building, I am invested!

Reviews

The Priory of the Orange Tree Review

March 4, 2019March 4, 2019by amyleighreads3 Comments

91DIYtTpRnL This was epic!!!

This is the first ever novel I read of Samantha Shannon and oh my goodness it was amazing. The world is wonderfully rich and developed, the magic system is complex and highly original and the plot was suspenseful and riveting!

We follow multiple perspectives throughout this book and at first that kind of had me a little confused. There is a lot of information given right from the start and like most epic novels it takes me a while to get situated into the story. But once I had a grasp of the characters and a general scope of the premise I was hooked!

This world was once ravaged and nearly decimated by a war that was lead by a fierce dragon called the nameless one. A thousand years ago he was defeated by a saint that the kingdom now revere and his direct descendant is Queen Sabran who is ruler over this land. Ead has been charged by the Priory of the Orange Tree a sacred sect of mages to guard Queen Sabran and keep her safe.

I love that this book really centers around three totally different but complex and distinct female characters. Ead is wonderful. She is so stubborn yet staunch in her beliefs and I like that she will not cower from her duties. She will rebut and argue her point and she will always do what is necessary. Queen Sabran I didn’t really enjoy at the start of the book. I thought she was a little too pious and naïve but she really grew on me as the story progressed. I thought she handled the responsibility and obligation to her people very well. She had a lot of harsh blows dealt to her throughout the course of the book yet she remained firm and strong. I was curious about Tane and how she would fit in to the story as I continued to read. I couldn’t tell how she would connect back and make a mark on the plot but she definitely surprised me in the end. As one of the main perspectives in the book I knew she would have to make some form of impact but her storyline started out so small and kind of insignificant that I didn’t see anything coming! I love that we really see her hit rock bottom but continue to fight and strive to right her wrongs and gain some form of atonement for her actions.

Being over eight hundred pages there is a lot of action and twist that take place. The story wove together beautifully and I honestly could not predict what was going to happen next. This was a very plot heavy and character driven story that really excelled in capturing the harsh reality of the situation. The stakes were incredibly high and the anticipation kept building.

I really enjoyed this read, high/epic fantasy is without a doubt my favourite genre and this book ticked all the boxes for me!

⭐️4.5/5 Dragons, destinies and drama!!!

TBR

March TBR

March 1, 2019March 1, 2019by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment

There are some books in this month’s TBR that I am super excited to get in to! I feel like my selection this month is quite varied so depending on my mood I have multiple choices that I am eager to read!

Windwitch by Susan Dennard

windwitch